By IANS,
Chandigarh : Cricketer turned politician Navjot Singh Sidhu Wednesday said there was dire need for a national debate on the issue of sharing of revenue between the rich and the poor and added that he would raise the issue in parliament.
“In the past two years the central government has given tax rebates to the tune of Rs.10 lakh crore to the corporate world,” said Sidhu, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary.
He added: “Revenue forgone on account of tax sops in 2009-10 amounted to Rs.502,299 crore, which amounted to 79.54 percent of the total central revenue. Whereas in 2008-09, the revenue forgone was Rs.414,099 crore, which was 68.59 percent of the total central revenue.”
Sidhu said that in contrast the total allocation for schemes for the poor under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was Rs.60,000 crore.
“While the central government shouts from the rooftops about Rs.60,000 crore given for the 70 percent of India’s people, it hides Rs.10 lakh crore gifted to the two per cent rich in the bulky budget documents,” Sidhu said.
He said that there is a dire need for a national debate on the sharing of revenue between the rich and the poor of the country.
“I am going to raise the issue in the next session of parliament. There is too much favouritism for the rich at the cost of the poor. I am not against growth and the rich, but there should be at least 50:50 parity. The government policies are giving rise to social inequity, which is the cause of every problem in the country,” Sidhu added.